PLAINS TWP., LUZERNE COUNTY -- Serious questions are being raised about operations at the Veterans Administration Medical Center near Wilkes-Barre. Some are calling for a federal investigation. In an Eyewitness News I-Team exclusive, current and former employees say the facility is being mismanaged.

Dozens of employees contacted the I-Team looking for help. They say their concerns are being ignored by management.

The V.A. Medical Center in Plains Township takes care of thousands of veterans from 19 counties in Pennsylvania. But some employees say that care is being jeopardized by what they call "poor management."

Several dozen employees contacted the I-Team. They did not want to be identified because they fear losing their jobs. Some have worked at the V.A. for 30 years.

One employee told the I-Team, "There is an atmosphere of fear and retaliation. There's no team environment. There's no cooperative environment. Everything is closed door."

Another employee said, "There's management by fear and intimidation. There's a tremendous amount of control of employees."

They also brought their concerns to Congressmen Paul Kanjorski and Chris Carney, and Senators Robert Casey and Arlen Specter. The four lawmakers contacted a top Veterans Administration official in Washington asking for his review.

The employees, who work in different departments at the V.A., brought a notebook filled with documents, they claim, raises questions of mismanagement.

"In the past couple years several no-bid contracts that have been let out in excess of $100,000 that were not competitively bid, a direct violation of the Federal Acquisition Act," said one employee.
   
"There are some issues associated with different engineering projects, different contracts being drawn up, fiscal concerns across the medical center," said another employee.

The Under Secretary for Health for the V.A. sent a letter to the lawmakers. In part it reads:

“All external reviews at the Wilkes-Barre V.A. indicate that management practices are comprehensive and employees are satisfied with their jobs, work environment and supervisors."

The I-Team also spoke with Michael Moreland, who supervises 8 V.A. Medical Centers in the northeastern United States, including Wilkes-Barre. He said:

"There is no evidence of systematic abuse at the V.A. in Wilkes-Barre… the objective data does not show a problem… no reoccurring complaints."

But the employees say they want an independent investigation and have contacted the FBI and several of them have already been interviewed by agents of the Inspector General's Office, which handles complaints dealing with federal medical facilities.

“We want a third party assessment, top to bottom for the V.A. Medical Center, from a fiscal standpoint, from a clinical care standpoint and from a morale standpoint," said one employee.

Senator Robert Casey says he is willing to give the V.A. leadership time to get to the bottom of these allegations. But he says the clock is ticking. "I'm not going to wait indefinitely. If I think that it isn't coming to a conclusion or the V.A. is not able to improve the situation, I will call for an independent investigation if necessary."

Congressman Paul Kanjorski told Eyewitness News that he spoke to the top leaders of the V.A. to make sure they know how concerned he is about these questions raised by employees.
 
And the I-Team also spoke to Gene Molino, a top administrator at the V.A. He says employees who have problems do have legal recourse within the system. He is confident that all of these questions will be addressed. He says the V.A. stands on its record of efficiency and high quality care to its patients.

He also pointed out that as a result of these concerns, the V.A. has initiated quarterly staff meetings with the staff of the congressman to discuss any concerns brought to them by their constituents.